The present invention relates to an illuminated open sight for a gun, such as a rifle or shotgun.
Present fiber optic gun sights, which function using ambient light, perform good to excellent when there is sufficient existing light. Their performance becomes less effective as the existing light diminishes. At or around daybreak and sunset are good examples of this.
It is well known that you cannot see stars during daylight hours. This is because the light being reflected or generated by the star is not as great as the surrounding light. The surrounding light washes out the light received from the star. When it comes to fiber optic gun sights they tend to fail when you need them the most.
Often times the light produced or collected by a fiber optic gun sight is not sufficient to be seen when the target is a bird flying across a clear blue sky. This can happen when you the shooter might be in the shade of a tree or on the back side of a hill or building. Since existing fiber optic gun sights fail when a good sight picture is needed the most, the need for an optional power source is of utmost importance.
Tritium is a radioisotope of hydrogen and a phosphor glows in the dark. Gun sights using tritium are faint when compared to the light emitted by an LED. Manufacturers of this type of gun sight claim that battery powered systems have a tendency to fail. This may have been the norm but not any more. This gun sight uses batteries that are inexpensive, very obtainable and will perform well beyond 100 hours.
Laser sights are of little value outdoors during daylight hours. They also reveal where you are as the shooter. Red dot sights and scopes do not have the field of view that open sights have. With some it is a struggle locating the red dot inside this tube that you must look through.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,434,560 discloses an aiming aid for an aiming device in a low light level environment. The aiming aid includes a light source that transmits light to fiber optics in a front sight and by a light-scattering rod to fiber optics in the rear sight. However, the patent has the disadvantage that the barrel of the weapon must be extensively modified (i.e., cut out) to accommodate the apparatus. Also, the patent does not disclose the use of ambient light to power the front sight.
There is a need for a dual-powered fiber optic sight for a gun, which can be illuminated either by ambient light or by a light source.
A dual powered fiber optic sight for a gun, which can be illuminated either by ambient light or by a light source. The light source is preferably a light-emitting diode (LED). Ambient light and light from the LED are carried by a fiber optic rod to a target screen and the rod appears as a bright dot on the target screen on the front sight of the gun.
This system being dual powered has an LED that provides illumination in the instances where existing fiber optic gun sights fail to function adequately. The invention ensures 24 hour performance and does it when it is needed most. This is accomplished by placing an LED at the opposite end of the target screen (front sight). A fiber optic rod becomes a light pipe to transmit light from the LED to the target screen. The rod also transmits ambient light to the target screen. In addition, the rod polarizes the light so that there is much less glare than there would be if you were looking directly into the LED.
In mode one or when ambient light is sufficient, the fiber optic rod which emits green light will appear green on the target screen. In mode two or when the ambient light generated is less than the surrounding light, the LED will take over and appears as a red dot on the target screen, red being the color emitted by the LED.
The illuminated dot is surrounded by a black target screen, which has two beneficial advantages. First, it provides more contrast between the illuminated dot and the surrounding area. Open sights often blend in with the surroundings, making it more difficult to see the sight. Another advantage of this target screen is that it encourages the shooter to aim and shoot with both eyes open (because the target screen blocks the target from view by the sighting eye). Most experienced shooters using open sights suggest that you keep both eyes open. It is faster and optimizes the unlimited field of view that you have with open sights. With both eyes open you can prepare your second shot at the same time you are taking the first shot.
The batteries uses by this invention are inexpensive, very obtainable, and will perform well beyond 100 hours. Even if the sight is left on over night, there will be plenty of power to get through a long weekend of hunting. Even if the batteries run out, the sight can still be powered by ambient light.
The surface mounted device (SMD) LED is mounted on a flex circuit to ensure reliability. The LED has a life estimated at 100,000 hours, or more than eleven (11) years of continuous use.
The sight is designed so that it can be completely disassembled without any tools or wrenches. Since all parts are accessible, any mechanical or electrical problem can be pinpointed by the user with a basic understanding of the system.
Many hunters have given up hunting because they have problems seeing the sights. As we age our eyes"" ability to focus on more than one object becomes more and more difficult. A system that provides a bright sight is easier to see, both consciously and unconsciously.